Onceler wrote:Totally agree WW. This kind of measurement, and desire for this kind of state, convinces me more and more that “enlightenment” has more in common with a dissociative disorder. A tricked up way to feel nothing....except perhaps a buzz of bliss that blocks human emotional responsiveness.

I wonder about how you might have attached yourself to the experience of enlightenment? This is strictly rhetorical; by that I'm encouraging you to look inwardly about how you relate to the state of enlightenment as oppose to formulating what it may or may not be using the English language. There's a particular energy in your above comment that is incongruous to the wakeful state or enlightenment.

I went through a phase where I started to hate the word 'enlightenment'. I had developed a relationship to its mysticism and came to learn that it lived inside of me as an abstraction and thus developed into a belief which has its definition rooted firmly in the absence of fact. What do you 'believe' about being awake? You may even be awake and in this instance you could, quite quickly, subjugate my reply and I'll accept the 'fool' role... but only momentarily.

Steve Taylor has just published a book titled The Leap in which he documents his ten year study on awakened individuals. For me, his book took the mysticism out of awakening and returned me back to a neutral position. Sometimes the idea of awakening can present in one of two extremes which is never helpful. The middle ground gives space and in this space I had my own temporary awakening.

I don’t have the energy to reply as these discussions no longer interest me, enlightenment is irrelevant to me and something I no longer desire. It appears to me a bait and switch, an endless game of spiritual three card Monte, ultimately based in fear and desire....but this is deeply suppressed individually and in the community. Walk away from the game and into your life. Check out my past posts if interested in my opinion, or just move on.

This is, of course, simply my opinion and experience after 30 years of chasing the dragon. I could be wrong, but I enjoy my life like never before since I quit the spiritual game and the chase. Curious, no?

I have a great incomparable presence of mind for your approach and your invitation for me to become curious with it. At the moment, Im not chasing anything; there's nothing I'm wanting so I will, in the gentlest possible way, decline.